ROCKFORD — Nonstop phone ringing made it difficult for Joe Cason to prep steaks for dinner service Thursday afternoon at Maria’s Italian Cafe.

News that the beloved Rockford eatery at 828 Cunningham St. is closing by year’s end had spread quickly thanks to social media, a truly modern form of communication for a restaurant that can trace its roots back nearly a century.

Cason answered dozens of phone calls from people requesting reservations and asking if news of the closing was really true. Letters addressed to “our beloved customers and the city of Rockford” taped to the windows spoke the truth.

Maria’s will close Dec. 31.

“Is it the right time or the wrong time? We don’t know,” Joe said. “We’ve been doing this for a long time, my brother and I. It’s time. We’ve had a great run down here. We’ve been fortunate that the community has supported us for all these years.”

Joe’s sister, Maria Cason, said the family was overwhelmed by the community response to the closing news. Maria lives in Atlanta but is coming back to town for the holidays and the restaurant’s final weeks.

“I don’t know if there would ever be a right time,” she said of closing. “The boys (Joe and brother, John) are the decision-makers when it comes to the restaurant. It’s our home. It’s our life. It’s our parents. Everyone has memories, but we really have them. That’s where we were raised, and we don’t know any better.”

Maria’s started in the back of the Cason family grocery store across the street from the existing restaurant space. The building still has the Cason name on it.

The siblings’ grandmother, Maria Dal Cason, started making sandwiches for her sons at the store, an effort that grew into the restaurant.

Maria Dal Cason’s sons, Tony and John “Jake” Cason, ran Maria’s for six decades. Jake’s wife, Carmella, continued on as a co-owner when he died in 1993. She passed away in September 2012 at the age of 88 and still worked at the restaurant shortly before she died.

Prominent people like President George H.W. Bush and Chicago Cubs great Ernie Banks dined at Maria’s. Photos of family and friends line the walls.

Business at the restaurant is still steady, but Maria said customers’ lifestyles have changed. She said people are busier, and it’s just time to move on.

Page 2 of 2 - “No one wants to say goodbye to Maria’s,” she said. “You like to hold on to all that you love. There’s a lot of love in that building. When you walk in that door, I don’t care how upset you are or what happened in your life. It’s like the Rockford Cheers, I guess.”

Maria said her father’s philosophy was to ensure “everybody was happy.” Maria’s is best known for its steaks and pastas.

“He loved nothing better than seeing people eat and enjoy the food and have a good time,” she said. “That’s why he had such a good time there. It wasn’t just going to work. He loved being around everybody.

“My father treated everyone with respect. It didn’t matter what walk of life you came from. We want everyone to feel special at Maria’s, and we hope we’ve done that with everyone.”

She did stress that Maria’s isn’t saying goodbye yet. Reservations are still being accepted through Dec. 31, though spots are filling up quickly.

The restaurant is open Wednesday through Saturday but likely will add Tuesday to the lineup closer to the holidays.

“The good life at Maria’s is still on and going. Let’s focus on filling our bellies and enjoying and laughing a lot. We’re sad, but we want everyone to go and have a good time and remember how happy you all were there.”